Automatic fire-extinguisher.



F. A. WOLFE.

AUTOMATIC FIRE ExTmcmsHER.

APPH CATIQN FILED OCT. 5,1915.

1., 182,127 Patented May 9, 1916.

I lhueutox F.-A .WOLFE FRANCIS A. WOLFE, OF SIOUX FALLS, SO'lITH DAKOTA.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed October 5, 1915. Serial No. 54,227.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. WOLFE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux Falls, in the county of Minnehaha and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. v This invention comprehendscertain new and useful improvements in automatic fire extinguishing devices, and relates particularly to fire extinguishers of the electrically actuated thermostatic type.

The invention hasfor its primary object a practical and very efiicient apparatus of this character embodying a reservoir containing a chemical, the parts being so constructed and arranged that when a fire occursin a rpom, for example, in which the de-v vice is located, the electric circuit will be antomatically closed andthe contents of a vial or container within the reservoir spilled into the latter, so \as to produce a gas which will besp'rayed out into the room and thus extin uish the fire in its incipiency.

' he invention also has for its object a very durable and efficient-construction of device of this character which maybe very easily and quickly set and otherwise prepared for operation, which will be sure in its action, and not liable to get out of order or require any attention. And the invention 'matic fire'extinguisher embodying the imthe operation of the tiltable container here- 'inafter specifically referred to.

(oi-responding and like parts are referred to in the following description and designated in all of the views of the accompanying drawing by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a preferably metallic casing or reservoir, which may be of any-desired shape and size, according to the requirements of the case and which is shown as cylindrical, in the present embodiment of the invention. The top of the casing 1 has an upstanding plate 2 mounted thereon, said plate supporting an electromagnet 3 having an electric circuit 4 controlled by a thermostatic device of any desired'character, whereby the circuit will be closed and the magnet energized, when a predetermined temperature is reached or exceeded.

5 designates the armature of the magnet, said armature being provided with a shank 6 terminating at its free end in a laterally offset head"? designed to engage, a trip lever 8, the latter being provided at one end with a head 9, and a pintle 10 being passed through said head and through apertures in the upper ends of laterally spaced arms ll, whereby the lever 8 is fulcrumed in position. The lever 8 is formed with any desired number of notches 15 designed to engage one arm of a bell crank trigger 17 pivoted at its elbow, as at 17 between the arms ll, before referred to, and the other arm of this trigger 17 is designed to extend over, and engage an. upwardly spring-pressed plunger 19 to hold the latter in'its depressed and normal posi-, tion against the tension ofits spring 19'; The plunger 19 is mounted for vertical movement in a screw cap 20 which is adapted to be screwed into an opening 21 formedin the top of the casing or reservoir 1, and saidplunger is provided at'its lower end with a preferablypacked valve 22, designed to abut agalnst the otherwise open mouth of a vial or-container 23. T1115 vial is designed to contain a chemical-which, when released in the lnterlor 0f the reservoir, will, \vlth other ingredients disposed in the reservoir. gen:

erate a gas, and the vial is detachably se cured as, for'example, by frictional engagement, in a preferably U-shaped clamp ll having trunnions at opposite sides, whereby it is loosely pivoted 1n andbetween the apertured ends of two depending bars 26 that extend'downwardly from the bottom of the screw cap 20. Thus, it will be under stood that so long as the plunger is in its lowermost position. engagement. with the vial, the latter W111 be held upright, blit when the plunger is released, the vial will instantly be tilted by gravity, and the con tents thereof will be poured into the reservoir to generate the gas, as above specified. Preferably the screw cap has an angular rod 27 screwed or otherwise secured therein, said rod beingcapable of a turning movement, so as to extend over the upper end of the plunger 19'when the device 1s being set, this rod being turned out of the wayafter the settin operation.

Secure as by screw-threaded engagement, in the bottom of the casing orreservoir ,1 is a valve casing 28 provided with any desired number of ports 29 normally closed by a.spring-pressed valve 30, and when the gas is generated, it will open this. valve andthe gas will be permitted to flow out through downwardly and laterally curved distributingfpipe's 31, of which there may be any desired number, said pipes being designed i to spray the gas upon any desired number vanes .32 formed on the upper surface of a spreader plate or disk 33 that is secured to the lower endof the stem 34 mounted for valve casing 28.

3 From the foregoing description, 1n conrevolilble movement in the lower end of the nection with the accompanying drawing, the operation of my improved fire extingu shing 'apparatuswill be apparent. In-the practical .use of the device, after the parts are set,

- should an excessive temperature'be reached,

1 the circuit for the electromagnet 3 will be closed automatically, whereby the armature '5 will be drawn against the cores of the magnet and cause the head 7 to kick the trip lever 8 out of engagement with the arm 16 of the trigger 17. T reupon the plunger 19 will be released, an the vial or container 23 will instantly tip over and pour its-contents into thereservoir to generate the gas which'will flow out through the distributing pipes 31.

and be sprayed over a relatively large area ,b, means of the vanes 32 and the spreader p ate, 33 to which the vanes are secured.

" Thus it will be seen that I have provided a very eflicient and automate fire extinguishing apparatus which will equire no attention at all to maintain in properly Working condition, and which will instantly act as soon as a predetermined temperature is reached or exceeded.

.lVhile the accompanying drawing/illus-f trates what I believe to be thepreferred em 'bodiment of my invention, it is to be under-' stood that the invention is not limited therei to but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and propor;

character described, comprising a reservoir,

an electromagnet mounted thereon, an armature for said. magnet provided with .a head,

means for energizing said magnet at a prethe energization of the magnet the head of the armature will engage the lever and move it out of engagement with the trigger.

2. A fire extinguishing apparatus of the c aracter described comprising a' reservoir, a rock arm carried by the reservon', a trigger pivotally supported by the reservoir and engageable with the rock arm, a closure mounted in the reservoir, a container supported within the reservoir by the closure, a

plunger movable in said closure and en-' gageable with the container to hold the latter in 'an upright position, the trigger being also engageable with the plunger for maintainingthe same in contact with the container when the'trigger is operatively engaged with the rock arm, automatic means under thermostatic control for disengaging the rock arm from the trigger, anda'utomaticmeans for forcing the plunger away from the container when the rock arm is disengaged from the trigger.

3. A fire extinguishing apparatus of the character described comprising a neservoir, a rock arm carried by the reservoir, a trigger pivotally sgpported by the reservoir and engageable. wi 1 the rpek arm,- a closure mounted in the reservoir, a container sup: ported within the reservoir by the closure, .a plunger movable in said closure and engageablewitli the container to hold the latter in an upright position, the trigger being 'also engageable with the plunger for maintaining the same in contact with the con tainer when the trigger is operatively engaged with the-rock' arm, automatic means under thermostatic. control for disengaging the rock arm from the trigger, automatic means for forcing the vplunger/ away from the container when the rock a mis disengaged from the trigger, and an angular member rotatably engaged with the closure and adapted to overlie theouterfend of the plunger to maintain the plunger in engagement with the container during the'period required to'set the trigger.

- 4:. A fire extinguishingapparatusof the character described compris ng a reservoir,

a rock arm carried by the reservoir, a trigger pivotally supported by the reservoir and engageable with the rock arm, a closure mounted in the reservoir, a container supported within thereservoir by the closure, a plunger movable in said closure and engage able with the container to hold the latter in an upright position, the trigger being also engageable with the plunger for maintaining'the same in contact with the container when the trigger is operatively engaged with the rock arm. electrical means under ther mostatic control for disengaging the rock arm from the trigger, and automatic means for forcing the plunger away from the con- 15 tainer when the rock arm is disengaged from the trigger.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS A. WOLFE.

Witnesses:

H. I. LOFFER, MARGARET HAMLIN. 

